Atomizing spreader for sprinkler heads



Aug. 29, 1944. A. c. RowLEY ATOMIZING SPREADER FOR SPRINKLER amus- Filed'March 13, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I Aug. 29, 1944. A. c. ROWLEY ATOMIZING SPREADER FOR SPRINKLER HEADS Fi led March 13, 1943 2 $heets-Sheet 2 Patented Au 29, 1944 ATOMIZING SPREADER FOR SPRINKLER HEAD-S a Arthur G. Rowlcy, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to i Globe Automatic Sprinkler Company, Philadelv phia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania v Application .March 13, 1943, Serial No. 479,088

4 Claims. (01. 169-39) i A principal object of this invention is to provide an improved atomizing spreader primarily -for the sprinkler heads of automatic fire-extinguishing systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved atomizing. sprinkler head incorporating the said spreader,,ashereinafter described.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the attached drawings, wherein Fig. l is a side view of a sprinkler head made in accordance with the inventiony Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line 2-2,

Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3, Fi c Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4, Fig. 1;

Fig. is a side and partial sectional view of the sprinkler head illustrating the mode of operation.

With reference to the drawings, the sprinkler head therein illustrated is of known form with the exception of the spreader element and the parts of the frame immediately associated with the spreader. The frame comprises a yoke I having at its outer end, and in alignment with the discharge port or nozzle 2 of the head, a threaded opening for reception of a screw 3 to which the spreader 4 is attached. The port 2 is normally closed by valve disk 5 held in place by the screw 3 acting through a fusible link 6 of suitable form. A link of the form illustrated is disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 479,089 filed March 13, 1943.

The spreader 4 comprises two sections, 1 and 8, which function respectively as primary and secondary deflectors and which co-act in a manner hereinafter described to produce the desired atomizing effect upon the stream of liquid discharged from the system through port 2 when the valve disk 5 is displaced. The primary deflector l, which lies closest to the port 2 and which isflrst contacted by the stream of discharged liquid, comprises a plurality of narrow radiating arms 9 separated by narrow intervening spaces II. In the present instance, the arms 9 extend radially from a common center at the axis of the screw 3 which also is the axis of the discharge nozzle 2. Preferably, the outer ends of the arms 9 are notched as indicated at l2. The secondary deflector 8 is spaced axially from the primary deflecter and takes the form in the present instance of a solid disk which is coaxial with the primary spreader and is'of lesser radial extent so that it overlies an inner portion only numeral I5.

of the several interveningspaces ll. This relationship of the secondary deflector to the primary deflector is best shown in Fig. 3.. Preferably the corner where the under surface of the disk" joins thestem isv filleted as indicatedat' l0, see Fig. 2. Y. a

The mode of operation of the 'deflectoris illustrated in Fig, 5 wherein the sprinkler head is shown after displacement of the valve disk 5 and its retaining link 6. The stream of liquid discharging through the port 2 is indicated by the reference numeral I3. This stream impinges first upon the under side of the primary deflector l and is broken up by the arms 9, it being noted that the arms are slightly inclined fromthe normal plane toward the nozzle. Certain portions of the stream l3, however, pass more or less intact through the spaces H and the notches l2 face of the secondary deflector and are projected by that deflector laterally at high velocity. This action of the deflector is well illustrated in Fig. 5. The high velocity particles thus deflected laterally by the secondary deflector impinge upon the other solid components which have passed the primary deflector through the spaces ll and the notches l2 and the impingement results in a mutual atomization of the particles. As a result of the joint actionof the primary and secondary deflectors, substantially the entire body of liquid .passing from the nozzle 2 is broken up into minute particles and is Widely distributed in the atomized condition.

Operating in conjunction with the deflector device described above and contributing to the atomizing efliciency of the device as a whole is a formation of the yoke I in the area embracing the screw 3 and immediately underlying the primary deflector 1. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1 that the yoke is channeled at each side of the central boss I4 which receives the screw 3,

these channels being indicated by the reference The two channels at each side of the yoke converge toward the underside of the deflector and the outer ends of the channels terminate in proximity to the inner ends of the spaces H. At the inner side of the yoke, the channels IS on the opposite sides are separated only by knife edges I6 which offer little or no obstruction to the stream of liquid and directs the stream into the respective channels. The inner end of the screw 3 is coned and also tends to deflect the impinging stream toward the channels. As a result of this formation, the com-' ponents of the stream are directed, at high velocity, toward the inner ends of the spaces II and are discharged through these spaces against the underside of the secondary deflector with the results described above.

I claim:

1. In an atomizing spreader, the combination with a primary deflector comprising a plurality of narrow radiating arms and intervening open spaces, of a secondary deflector axially spaced from and of smaller radial extent than the said primary, said secondary deflector overlying the inner portions only of the said intervening spaces.

2. In an atomizing spreader, the .combination with a primary deflector comprising a plurality of narrow radiating arms and intervening open spaces, the sides of said spaces converging toward the center of radiation, of a secondary deflector axially spaced from and of smaller radial extent than the said primary .so' as to overlie only the relatively restricted inner ends .of said spaces, and notches in the 'other ends of the said radiating arms.

3. .Inia sprinkler head of the type comprising a body member having a discharge port and 'a yoke extending beyond and providing a support for a deflector in line with said port; said deflector comprising a primary deflector element havin narrow radiating arms and intervening spaces, means in the adjoining portion of the yoke for guiding a discharged liquid to the inner ends of said spaces, and a secondary deflector element relatively remote from the port and arranged to laterally deflect the liquid passing through the said inner ends of the spaces for impingement upon the particles of liquid passing through the outer portions of said spaces.

4. In an atomizing spreader adapted to be positioned in the path of a jet of liquid for atomizing and distributing the latter, the combination of a primary deflector comprising radial arms diverging slightly from a plane normal to the axis of the deflector toward the source of said jet, said arms having spaces between them together with space-formingnctches at their tips, and a secondary deflector comprising a solid disc of smaller diameter, centered above said primary deflector and extending radially beyond the inner portions only of the spaces between said arms so as to deflect laterally at high velocity the interceptedportions of the streams of liquid that pass through'thespaces of the primary deflector.

ARTHUR C. ROWLEY. 

